Power of Three
by Bluefire Eternal
Summary: Several moons have passed since the events in Outcast. Hollypaw and Lionpaw are ready to be made warriors and Jayfeather is already a full medicine cat. But trouble is stirring ThunderClan and it will take all three cats to stop it. Currently being edited
1. Prologue: Past, Present, and Future

**12/28 Edit: I have come back to fix this story for spelling and grammar errors that have bothered me for some time. Mind you, this story is still a post-Outcast AU, but I am changing several things (like warrior names) to stay somewhat with canon. However, Sol will not have a place in this story, and niether will the Leaf/Jay/Crow theory (though we all it's practically canon now.) I have my own plans for this story other than what the Erins have wrote.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own _Warriors_. All I own is the plot and any OCs that pop up in this story.**

Within a dark forest that had no light, save for a sort of glowing fungus that emitted a soft glow, and seemed to have no inhabitants save for the stale scents of cats, a dark tabby tom with a white underbelly navigated through the endless maze of trees with the speed and precision of an expert. Of course, after spending nearly twelve blasted moons in this dreary place- not that he wasn't keeping count of the days of his imprisonment or anything- because of his half-brother, Hawkfrost should know the Dark Forest by heart.

Tigerstar waited for his son upon a rock, one unsheathed paw tapping the side of the massive stone impatiently. When Hawkfrost finally did show up, he quickly looked down at his paws to avoid that intense amber gaze that seemed to burn right through him to his very soul.

Hawkfrost waited for the usual tart admonishment from his father, but Tigerstar merely tapped on his rock. The clicking sound of claws against the hard surface made the former RiverClan warrior wince each time they touched the stone. Still, Tigerstar did not speak.

Not able to bear the silence any longer, Hawkfrost spoke up tentatively. In life he hadn't much of a cautious cat, but when dealing with the infamous Tigerstar of ShadowClan, any mousebrain knew to not make the slightest wrong move unless they had a strong desire to die a second time. "Sorry that I'm late Tigerstar," he meowed with only a waver of fear in his voice. "Our apprentice just needed a little bit of... persuasion to keep on the right path."

The tapping finally ceased. "But you managed to lure Lionpaw ever closer to our ultimate goal, right?" Tigerstar asked with a slight trace of warning.

Hawkfrost nodded. "I told Lionpaw to be the best warrior he could be and that he should the follow the warrior code as best as he can, like his sister Hollypaw." He bent his head up to look at Tigerstar with an icy blue gaze. "But it was an accident that I let it slip that Firestar has been breaking the code the moment he joined the Clan."

Tigerstar's whiskers twitched in satisfaction. "Good. Any other important news about our three little favorite apprentices?"

Hawkfrost puffed up his chest and proudly reported, "Jayfeather has been welcomed as a full medicine cat by StarClan. Lionpaw is jealous at his brother for getting his name before him and is angry at Ashfur for not letting him be a warrior. During his rant to me he mentioned something about a prophecy."

The dark tabby's ears perked in interest. "Prophecy? What prophecy?"

"Lionpaw said that his brother told him and Hollypaw about a prophecy he's been hiding from us for a couple of moons now. _"Three will come, kin of your kin, with the power of the stars in their paws." _Jayfeather claimed he heard Firestar and some old gray tomcat talking about it."

"That would explain the unusual fighting skills Lionpaw has been showing ever since the journey to the Tribe of Rushing Water," Tigerstar mused. "And it would also explain why Jayfeather has the strange ability to walk in other cats' dreams. Hollypaw, if the prophecy is truly about her and her siblings, must have a power, too."

Hawkfrost sat in silence as his leader mulled over the possibilities that this prophecy would have upon his plans. As we went over each scenario in his head with typical Tigerstar thinking, Hawkfrost tried to hide his impatience.

_Can you hurry it up? _the former RiverClan warrior thought. _I still have more news to tell you about! _Whoever had said that patience is a virtue had clearly never met Tigerstar.

Not able to bear the silence any longer Hawkfrost continued, "There's more to my news, Tigerstar." The dark tabby snapped his head up, amber eyes burning with annoyance at being interrupted from his train of thought. "I managed to manipulate Lionpaw's anger toward Ashfur to our advantage. He followed me toward a border skirmish between a ThunderClan patrol and a ShadowClan patrol. He and Hollypaw showed so much bravery at the fight that Firestar has ordered their warrior ceremony to take place tomorrow."

Tigerstar nodded. "And aren't Daisy's latest litter of kits going to apprenticed as well tomorrow...What were their names? Rosekit and Toadkit? Horrible names, in my opinion. But never mind about that, if one of those kits were to be apprenticed to either Hollypaw or Lionpaw..."

Hawkfrost unsheathed his claws in understanding. He snarled in joy as the familiar feeling of blood-lust bubbled up inside him. "If either of those kits are apprenticed to our dear kin, then Brambleclaw will no longer be needed to hold the position of deputy. My agent will take care of my half-brother if that does happen."

Tigerstar replied, "It's not a matter of _if _Lionpaw or Hollypaw receive Rosekit or Toadkit as an apprentice. Or _if _Firestar appoints either cat as deputy in Brambleclaw's place. It's all a matter of _when._"

Seeing the look of confusion on Hawkfrost's face, Tigerstar sighed. "There's an old saying that goes "keep your friends close and your enemies closer." After so many moons of getting to know Firestar better than the old fool knows himself, I know how he'll react if another tragedy hits him in his advanced age. Losing his first deputy to the Twolegs for seasons. Having to face the matter that his own trusted deputy hesitated on over to whether save of his life or not. All of these little things can build up on even the strongest cat."

Hawkfrost smirked as Tigerstar's plot came into light. "I see what you're getting at."

Tigerstar nodded. "All it takes is a little bit of pressure continually pressed up in large amounts and...SNAP!" The dark tabby flashed out a clawed paw and struck a tree branch close to his head, the dead thing falling off the tree and landing at Hawkfrost's paws. "Just like Bluestar, Firestar will fall to his own paranoia. When a cat can only trust his own kin, especially a leader, he'll go for his grandkit as deputy."

"But what about Squirrelflight?" Hawkfrost asked nervously. He knew it was very bad to pop Tigerstar's metaphorical bubble while he was one in of his "moods," but this was just too major to not mention. "She has her own apprentice, too."

"No cat in their right minds would allow that crazy ball of fur to become deputy, even if she was his own daughter." Tigerstar turned to Hawkfrost.  
"That's the thing about Firestar, he would never trust his mate or his daughter to take up such a dangerous position as deputy. If Graystripe was captured and Brambleclaw killed and yet still paranoid to only one of his kin to become deputy, wouldn't he pick a cat that shares his blood but did not a close connection with?"

Unknownst to the two scheming cats, some one was watching their dyabolical thinking from far away.

A tomcat sat, staring into a pool that was just like the ones StarClanners used to watch the living with. But only this one pool could see somewhere else other that wasn't in the Clans' boundries. The cat watching this pool was a glittering silver from all the stars that covered his pelt, only a couple of sparse flecks of untouched fur showing he had once been a dark brown tabby.

"Well?" a dark cream she-cat who was sitting nearby asked. "What is Tigerstar planning this time?"

The silver tomcat allowed the image of the two Dark Forest cats to fade into blackness and fixed his unnerving white gaze on the she-cat. In life his gaze had been green, but the original color had long since leaked out of his eyes. "Same as always, Dawnstar. Our dear enemy is trying to reap his revenge upon Firestar by controlling his living kin. And, as you have predicted, he has found out about the prophecy."

Dawnstar hissed in frustration at the silver cat's calm tone. "I don't know how you cannot be worried about this, Rowanstar," she snapped. "If Tigerstar controls Lionpaw then he controls the best fighter in the history of the Clans!"

Rowanstar nodded. "It would appear so."

"Then why not summon Spottedleaf or Yellowfang to fetch Lionpaw back?" Dawnstar clawed at the dirt beneath her claws, trying to kept her agitation under control. "You ordered for Jayfeather to be protected and he has every drop of power his brother has. Why not do the same for Lionpaw?"

"Hollypaw is the only one untouched by Tigerstar at the moment," Rowanstar meowed. The pool in front of him suddenly showed an image of the black she-cat with the innocent green eyes he knew all too well would be dark and tired within a very few short moons from now. "If we were to take Lionpaw from Tigerstar, he would go for the only one of the prophecy unshielded by StarClan."

Dawnstar looked down at the image of Hollypaw with cold green eyes. "Does it matter?" she replied icily. "The sister shows no power. If she even does have a talent, it wouldn't be nearly as destructive as Lionpaw's or Jayfeather's."

Rowanstar shifted slightly at the look in Dawnstar's eyes. Although she had been one of the more kinder ShadowClan leaders, the ingrained agression and hosility toward strangers still ran deep. "Hollypaw has just as much, if not more, power as her brothers. Her talent is just more...subtle."

The two cats looked down at the pool that suddenly shifted to a vision of a possible future. Hollypaw stood before a forest plagued with chaos caused by her, her **amber **eyes as cold and calculating as Tigerstar's.

Rowanstar grimly meowed, "If Tigerstar was to discover Hollypaw's abilities there would be no hope for the Clans."

Dawnstar looked down at what she almost had caused and shivered as her blood suddenly ran cold. "For a former WindClan leader you are quite wise," she reluctantly conceded.

He blinked in surprise at the comment, then purred in amusement. "That's because the leader of StarClan _has _to be wise." Rowanstar looked down back at this possible vision of Hollypaw and narrowed his eyes slightly. Unknownst to his apprentice who was to be the future leader of StarClan, this fate for Hollypaw was still all too likely to happen.

The ancient prophecy that Rowanstar had received upon the night he had become leader of StarClan kept on repeating over and over in the back of his head as he stared into the amber eyes of that monstrous vision.

_"Problems of the past, present, and future will come to haunt the Clans. Three cats who hold the power of the stars in their paws shall deal with their demons and confront these problems. If they should fail, death and despair shall strike the Clans."_

**So that was the prologue of _Power of Three. _I know it isn't that good but I promise that the other chapters will be better. And to those that are wondering, yes, the character of Dawnstar of ShadowClan is the same Dawnstar who was in _Firestar's Quest._**


	2. Trouble Begins to Stir

**12/28/08 Edit: Fixed spelling errors and changed Cinderclaw to Cinderheart and Heathergaze to Heathertail. Since I despise the names Lionblaze and Hollyleaf and am disappointed that such awesome characters got lame names (looking at you, Lionblaze) they'll still be known as Lionclaw and Hollyfrost in my story. Mousewhisker is still dead, so that ThunderClan may not become overpopulated.**

**Disclaimer: I own neither _Warriors_ or said little quote.**

_"There is not such thing as a 'self-made' man. We are made up of thousands of others. Everyone who has ever done a kind deed for us, or spoken one word of encouragement toward us, has entered into the make-up of our character and of our thoughts, as well as our success."- _George Burton Adams

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join here beneath the Highledge for a Clan meeting!" Firestar stood tall and proud on the Highledge, his green eyes gazing down upon the cats that had already gathered around his perch in preparation for the ceremonies that were about to take place.

Lionpaw and Hollypaw stood in the front of the crowd, the golden tabby nervously trying to smooth out his fur. He was aware that in just a few short moments he would be under the watchful eyes of all of ThunderClan and his heart fluttered like a crazed bird just by thinking about it.

Hollypaw noticed her brothers anxiousness and gave him a reassuring nuzzle. "Don't worry," she whispered. "You'll do fine."

"But what if I mess up?" Lionpaw asked.

From his place on the other side of Hollypaw, Foxpaw snorted. "How can you mess up?" he hissed back. "All you have to do is say two words and lick Firestar's shoulder."

"Do you know how many ways I can mess up?" the golden tabby meowed. "I could accidentally trip when I'm trying to like Firestar's shoulder and send us both tumbling off the Highledge. I could blurt out something else other than "I do," then be made fun of for moons. I could-"

Hollypaw flicked her black tail over her brother's mouth, ears perked and trained solely on Firestar. "Thank you great and merciful Hollypaw," Foxpaw whispered in relief.

Lionpaw's ears laid flat back against his head in resentment, but he didn't dare try to flinch away from Hollypaw when she was in one of her dominating moods. His amber eyes narrowed as he silently glared at Foxpaw, who smirked and went back to listening to Firestar speak a few words in memory of Mousewhisker, who had passed away the previous moon due to an attack by rogues that had since been driven out of the territory.

Ever since the trip back from the mountains, Foxpaw had stuck to Hollypaw like a burr. Lionpaw had decided the reddish tabby tom was crushing on his sister and had let the matter be, as he had other important things, like secretly training with Tigerstar and Hawkfrost, to worry about. But Hollypaw had shared Foxpaw's feelings, and both cats were as close as ever, especially when Hollypaw's best friend, Cinderheart, had become a warrior.

"Now," Firestar's voice broke Lionpaw from his thoughts, "let us get to the matters at paw here. Two apprentices showed great bravery and valiance the other day when they helped drive out an invading ShadowClan patrol out of the territory. Their mentors, along with myself, have deemed them both worthy to become warriors."

Hollypaw inhaled deeply in anticipation, finally releasing her hold on Lionpaw. The tabby sighed in relief and spat several balls of black fur out of his mouth.

"Hollypaw, come forward."

The black-furred cat stepped toward her grandfather, her green eyes so identical to her mother's solemn and proud.

"I Firestar, leader of-"

"Go, Hollypaw!" All cats turned their heads towards Cinderheart, who coughed in embarrassment and shuffled her paws. With a grunt of amusement, Firestar continued.

"I Firestar, leader of ThunderClan call upon my warrior ancestors to look down upon this apprentice. She has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend her to you as a warrior in her turn. Hollypaw," the she-cat looked up at her name with twitching whiskers, "do you promise to uphold the warrior code and promise to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

The answer came without hesitation. "I do."

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Hollypaw, from this moment you will be known as Hollyfrost. StarClan honors your loyalty and your forethought, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan." The newly named warrior bent down to look Firestar's shoulder and he touched her head in return.

"This is it," Foxpaw whispered into Lionpaw's ear. "Better not mess up. Remember, all of ThunderClan is watching you right now."

Lionpaw pretended to ignore the younger apprentice's taunt, but on the inside his stomach was churning. When Firestar beckoned him forward, Lionpaw gulped nervously and padded over to meet his leader, aware that all the eyes of ThunderClan seemed to be burning holes in his pelt.

"I Firestar, leader of ThunderClan call upon my warrior ancestors to look down upon this apprentice. He has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend him to you as a warrior in his turn. Lionpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and promise to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

"I do." Lionpaw's voice came out in a much high pitch he used when he was nervous and several cats chuckled in amusement. Growing hot under his fur, the tabby cleared his throat and repeated his answer in his regular voice. "I do."

"Then by the powers of StarClan I give you your warrior name. Lionpaw, from this moment you will be known as Lionclaw. StarClan honours your courage and strength and welcome you as a full member of ThunderClan."

Lionclaw looked into his grandfather's warm green eyes and felt all his embarressment leave him as he saw the encouragement in them. Respectfully, he bent his head down and licked Firestar's shoulder. The ginger tomcat touched Lionclaw's head with his muzzle and whispered in his ear, "You did fine."

"Hollyfrost! Lionclaw! Hollyfrost! Lionclaw!" ThunderClan called out enthusiastically, Foxpaw's and Cinderheart's voices among the loudest of them all. Bumblekit, Briarkit and Blossomkit, Graystripe's and Millie's children, bounced around in glee.

_"Look at that," _Tigerclaw meowed from Lionclaw's side, invisible. _"They're all cheering for you, Lionclaw. And one day, they will cheer you on again for being the best warrior in all four of the Clans."_

_But they're cheering for Hollyfrost,too, _one side of the tabby's mind argued. But Lionclaw's pride over-whelmed that small protesting thought, his chest puffing up as his head grew ever bigger.

"Tonight Hollyfrost and Lionclaw will sit the traditional silent vigil. But until then, we have two new apprentices to welcome." Rosekit and Toadkit began to squirm in excitement.

The two new warriors quietly stepped out of the limelight and went to sit back in their positions, both taking the congratulations and wishes of good luck they heard from their Clanmates with more than a little bit of pride. Hollyfrost stared hungrily at the soon-to-be apprentices. It was no secret that the black she-cat desired an apprentice of her own.

Foxpaw noticed what his best friend was thinking and meowed, "Dont get your hopes up, Hollyfrost. You were just made a warrior a moment ago. Firestar's going to apprentice those kits to experienced warriors, and you know it."

Lionclaw was barely paying attention to Foxpaw, who kept on trying not to get Hollyfrost's hopes up, and his sister, who seemed totally focused on the apprentice ceremony alone. The golden tabby watched as Rosepaw was given to Sorreltail and noticed Hollyfrost's look of longing and envy become ever stronger.

"Toadpaw," Firestar was saying, "you show great promise at being an extraordinary fighter when you become a warrior. However, you will need a great mentor to help you reach your full potential." His green eyes swept over the crowd and came to a rest on Brightheart, who nodded without surprise.

"Sorry," Lionclaw whispered to his sister. "There's always next time."

But Hollyfrost was still staring intently at Toadpaw. No one noticed as Firestar's green eyes suddenly clouded and he shook his head to clear his thoughts. "Hollyfrost, you will mentor Toadpaw." All cats in the crowd, including Hollyfrost herself, gaped in shock.

"WHAT?" the black she-cat yowled.

"You heard me," Firestar replied. "Despite your youth, you have shown astounding loyalty to the warrior code and have been one of the greatest hunters in the Clan. Not letting you mentor Toadpaw would be the loss of a great warrior on his part." Several voices of protest, including from Toadpaw's father, Spiderleg, erupted from the crowd.

"You're letting a brand new warrior mentor my son?" the long-legged black and brown tom demanded. "She hasn't even sat her vigil and yet you trust her with the future of a young and impressionable apprentice?"

"My kits had plenty of training and experience before they were given apprentices," Dustpelt called out. "Why does your kin get special treatment?"

"Enough!" Firestar growled out. "Questioning your leader's decision and demanding an apprentice be given to another mentor when he is already being trained by a capable warrior are both against the warrior code. I know that Hollyfrost is still very young, but I have no doubt that she will be an excellant mentor to Toadpaw."

No cat dared protest, although several dark glances were exchanged between Clanmates. Even Graystripe, who was Firestar's best friend and always believed in his companion's decisions, looked unsure about the situation.

"Does it really even matter?" Foxpaw muttered. "So what if Hollyfrost is new? I seem to recall the elders saying that Graystripe and Firestar themselves were plenty young when they got their apprentices."

"Yes," Lionclaw conceded. "But they were at least warriors for a moon. Hollyfrost just recieved her warrior name."

Foxpaw shrugged, losing interest in the matter all together. He was one of the few cats that cheered when Holllyfrost and Toadpaw, who couldn't care less about who his mentor was, finally touched noses.

"Rosepaw! Toadpaw! Rosepaw! Toadpaw!"

Hollyfrost was soon surrounded by cats that offered her congratulations and wishes of good luck for getting both a warrior name and an apprentice. Lionclaw was about to join in when he felt a tail bar his way.

_"Hold on," _Tigerstar meowed from next to him. _"You and I need to talk. I sense there's something troubling you."_

Lionclaw nodded, padding over to an isolated corner of the Clan far away from the crowd to talk. The new warrior could see a flash of dark tabby fur from the corner of his eye and could scent the musky scent of Tigerstar near him.

_"You're concerned about Hollyfrost recieving an apprentice so early in her life." _This was said as a statement, not a question.

The golden tabby sighed. "Exactly," he meowed. "I know Hollypaw- I mean, Hollyfrost- is a full member of ThunderClan now, but she's been one for only a couple of minutes! And I saw Firestar looking at Brightheart when he was about to pick Toadpaw's mentor." Lionclaw shook his head in confusion. "I don't know what yet, but there's something strange things going on around her. And it's just not the prophecy."

_"Does it really matter whether the kittypet meant to pick Brightheart or not? He chose Hollyfrost instead and the warrior code dictates not to question the leader's decision, no matter how mousebrained it is."_ Seeing the look of doubt on Lionclaw's face, the dark tabby quickly added, _"Besides, Hollyfrost is a full member of the Clan. There's nothing wrong about being picked before another cat, like Birchfall or Hazeltail, for an apprentice."_

Hearing his Clanleader called a "kittypet" irked Lionclaw a little bit, but he shoved it to the back of his mind. Something more important than a tiny insult was bothering him at the moment. "Last time I spoke to him, Hawkfrost said Firestar broke the warrior code," Lionclaw began. "Is that true?"

_"Dear Firestar allowed countless useless kittypets and rogues into the Clan, Millie and Daisy among them. I have nothing against outsiders with actual skills being allowed into the Clan, so long as they follow the warrior code, but didn't Millie throw the offer of getting a warrior name back in Firestar's face?"_

"She didn't throw it back into his face," Lionclaw protested. "She just...politely declined the offer. Millie just wanted to keep the name she was born with."

_"If Firestar had denied a Clan name back in Bluestar's time and insisted on being called Rusty, you wouldn't be here right now."_

"But that's different! Times have changed since then!"

_"Have they?" _Tigerstar retorted. _"Clancats have followed the warrior code for generations and they seemed to fare quite well. Defying the code is defying the very thing that makes you a warrior. Firestar allows rogues in knowing that next leaf-bare there might not be enough prey to feed his own Clan, let alone the newcomers. He insists on going into other territories and trying to solve everything peacefully."_

"He just wants to make sure their isn't any unnecessary blood-shed!" Lionclaw argued. "Besides, warriors are useful for other tasks that don't involve fighting other cats."

_"Like?"_

"Like protecting the queens, elders and kits from bigger predators. Or marking and patrolling the borders and hunting for prey."

"Lionclaw, who are you talking to?" The golden tabby whirled around, coming face to face with the suspicious face of Jayfeather. Lionclaw squirmed under his brother's sightless blue gaze, aware that Jayfeather could feel another cat's emotions.

"Myself," he answered as calmly as possible.

The medicine cat's whiskers twitched suspiciously. "Yourself?" he repeated. "You were talking to yourself?"

"Yeah," Lionclaw meowed nervously. "Don't you talk to yourself sometimes?" Seeing that his brother wasn't shaken, he changed gears and went on the offensive. "And why do you care?" he demanded angrily. "Can't you trust me to be off on my own?"

"Last time I left you alone you went off and broke the warrior code," Jayfeather meowed flatly.

Lionclaw's blood went cold. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Heatherpaw," Jayfeather repeated bluntly. "Back when we were apprentices you and her went off and played together back in the tunnels, didn't you? Don't even try to lie to me, I can tell when you do."

"Her name is Heathertail now," Lionclaw meowed automatically. "Why does it matter? I'm a loyal warrior of ThunderClan now, not some little ditsy apprentice. I made it perfectly clear to both you and Hollyfrost that I'm seeing Heathertail anymore."

Unable to put up with Hollyfrost and her apprentice, Tigerstar's sharp conversations, and Jayfeather's mental probing, Lionclaw simply turned away and stalked off. He didn't notice Brambleclaw staring after him with thoughtful amber eyes.

**Once again I'm left with another short and boring chapter. Don't worry, next chapter things will start to finally pick up. By the way, Bumblekit, Briarkit and Blossomkit are not mine. According to the Erins themselves, Millie will actually give to birth to three kits named these.**

**The names Hollyfrost and Lionclaw are not cannon, although it is confirmed tha Jayfeather is. Hollyfrost is an awesome name for Hollypaw in my opinion and sadly Lionclaw will probably become cannon with the whole -claw trend going on with Tigerstar's kin. **

**Review Replies:**

**Tamera Ali: Eh, sorry about the mispellings. Since MicrosoftWord went and deleted itself, I've been stuck with NotePad for writing and the spell-check thing on the Documents page on this site.**


	3. Death of Innocence

**12/28/08 Edit: Fixed spelling and grammar errors and changed Honeystripe to Honeyfern.**

**Disclaimer: You all know the drill, I don't own anything_. _The small part in italics later in the story is an excerpt from _Sunset, _which belongs to Erin Hunter, not me. **

_"Pale Death with impartial tread beats at the poor man's cottage door and at the palaces of kings."- _from _Odes_ by Horace

A sharp breeze cut through Brambleclaw's fur, reminding the deputy that another leaf-fall was just around the corner. The warm and blissful days of greenleaf would all too soon come to an end, leaving nothing but moons of hardship and starvation behind until next newleaf. Hollyfrost and Lionclaw both stood guarding the camp entrance, following the ancient tradition of sitting a silent vigil.

Brambleclaw purred softly as he watched his two kits struggle to stay awake until dawn, where they would be relieved of their post. Hollyfrost was faring better than her brother, her pose erect and alert. Only her eyes betrayed her exhaustion. Lionclaw, on the other paw, was struggling to keep his eyes open and swayed on his paws from time to time.

Remembering the sight he had seen earlier that morning, the tender affection on the deputy's face was replaced with suspicion as he eyed his son. Lionclaw, usually a cat that took advantage at being the center of attention, had hung back from the crowd congratulating his sister and had lurked over in an unoccupied corner and had began talking to himself as if he were crazy.

Was Tigerstar haunting Lionclaw? It would certainly explain a lot of strange things, like why his son knew fighting moves that had last been practiced and perfected by Tigerstar, or how he sometimes woke up in the mornings with mysterious wounds, like Brambleclaw used to sometimes get when he used to train in the Dark Forest with his father and Hawkfrost.

_Hawkfrost. _The very name of his half-brother brought back the nightmarish memories of their last encounter. Firestar had been lured into a fox-trap and Hawkfrost was expecting Brambleclaw to finish his leader off so he would take his place. Brambleclaw had refused and had fought Hawkfrost. Finally driving a wooden part of the fox-trap through his half-brother's throat, the RiverClan warrior had left a foreboding message with his dying words as he perished because of blood-loss and suffocation.

_"Fool!" Hawkfrost rasped; the effort of speaking made the blood pour even faster from his terrible wound. "Do you think I did this alone? Do you think you're safe within your own Clan?" He coughed, spitting out clots of blood and added, "Think again!"_

_"What?" Brambleclaw took a step toward him, his forepaws splashing in the scarlet pool. Was Hawkfrost accussing a _ThunderClan warrior _of leading Firestar into this trap? "What do you mean. Tell me, Hawkfrost. _Who _do you mean?"_

_But the cold fire was leaving Hawkfrost's eyes. He turned away from Brambleclaw, staggered a few paces through the ferns, and collasped beside the lake, his haunches trailing in the water. Tiny waves rippled over his body, and his blood spread out in a scarlet cloud._

Brambleclaw shook his head, unable to bear it anymore. Because of those last words from a dying half-brother, he had lived the last year in a state of paranoia. Was Ashfur the tratior because he had been jealous of Brambleclaw being with Squirrelflight? Was Birchfall the traitor, for he had been the one that had said that Blackstar was on the territory, and had lured Firestar toward his doom?

_It doesn't matter at the moment, _the dark tabby told himself firmly. _What is most important at the moment is making sure Lionclaw isn't following me down the path I abandoned so long ago. _And that was exactly what he would do. As soon as the silent vigil was done and the two new warriors were allowed to speak, he would confront Lionclaw about this.

Turning away from the camp entrance with a sight, Brambleclaw began to pad back to the warm nest that was waiting for him back in the warriors' den. Seeing a shadow behind the nursery however, the deputy steered toward that direction to investigate.

_That cat isn't making dirt. Did someone discover the secret exit out of camp and is trying to use it? _

Brambleclaw paused in confusion as he saw the shadow of the cat suddenly shift into a pouncing position. The cat advanced and Brambleclaw could catch a glimpse of the shadow licking its chops in anticipation.

The last thing Brambleclaw ever saw was the cold gleam of claws that glittered in the moonlight before everything went black.

000000

"Medicine cat! I need a medicine cat!"

Lionclaw was awakened by the frantic cries of Daisy. Leaping up from his position from where he had accidentally fallen asleep on his silent vigil, he and Hollyfrost joined in the crowd that was quickly gathering behind the nursery. Lionclaw pushed his way through cats too shocked to speak, and yowled in grief at the sight he saw.

Brambleclaw lay upon the ground, his throat spilling blood while his amber eyes stared past everyone in silent horror. Lionclaw could only gaze at the gruesome sight in horror, unable to look away from the terrible bleeding mass that had been his father.

"Get out of the way!" Leafpool and Jayfeather fought through the ThunderClanners with herbs in their mouths, obviously meant for the deceased deputy. Jayfeather's blue eyes widenened as he stopped, catching scent of the blood. He dropped his herbs and turned his head away, blue eyes filled with sorrow as he recognized that his father was beyond saving. Leafpool, in denial, pressed a paw on Brambleclaw's neck.

"He doesn't have a pulse," she reported with an oddly calm voice. Things seemed to stop to Lionclaw as the hard reality of it all hit him like a badger.

"Father!" He shoved Honeyfern out of the way, curling up around his father as he wept tears that had refused to fall since he was a tiny kit. Lionclaw raised his head and yowled to the skies in grief, calling out to the parent he never had a chance to say goodbye to. Hollyfrost was staring on in silent horror, unable to grasp what had happened to the cat she had thought strong enough to beat death itself.

"NO! NO! BRAMBLECLAW!" Squirrelflight ran toward her mate, covering his head in frantic licks. "Please, wake up, love. Please, wake up. Wake up! NO! NO!"

A sea of cats parted for Firestar, who was still unaware of the horrible tragedy. "What's going on here?" he demanded in a hard voice. "Why are all of you standing around like that?"

Slowly, the legendary Clanleader absorbed it all in. His green eyes went from Jayfeather's dipped head, to Hollyfrost's gape of disbelief, to the wailing Lionclaw, to the hysterical Squirrelflight, and finally, to the broken and bloodied corpse that had been his deputy.

There was an audible snap as something broke after years of pressure. Firestar's green eyes almost bulged out of his sockets as he could only stare, all sanity leaving his face as he turned away and vanished into the shadows of his den.

00000

A cold and silver moon soared overhead, bathing the Clan of cats that lay out in the open with an ethereal light. Brambleclaw's cold and still body lay in the center of the clearing as most of ThunderClan gathered outside for his vigil.

Lionclaw lay against his father's freezing side in a state of disbelief. Brambleclaw's eyes had been closed and the blood had been cleaned off to it appeared as if he was merely sleeping. But Lionclaw knew better than that. Just like the still body of Mousewhisker that had once lain in the deputy's place so long ago, Brambleclaw was dead and gone forever.

The golden tabby could only lie there, listening to the low whispers of the cats around him.

"I can't believe it," came Ferncloud's quiet voice. "He's really dead."

"I always knew the fool was ambitious and mousebrained," her son, Spiderleg, meowed, "but I never thought he would actually die this early in life."

"Where's Firestar?" Dustpelt demanded. "It's almost moonhigh and he hasn't shown himself all day. Shouldn't he be here to announce the new deputy?"

"Maybe I'm supposed to be deputy again," Graystripe suggested in an unsure voice. "I'm almost an elder and will have to retire soon anyway, but I _was _deputy before I was stolen by the Twolegs."

"I'm not surprised really that Brambleclaw's dead," Hazeltail whispered. "Honestly, Berrynose, you know your mentor was always a bit reckless and on the edge."

_Shut up! _Lionclaw thought, trying to drown out all their talk. _All of you just shut up!_

_"Look how petty they all are," _Tigerstar whispered into his grandson's ear. _"Here they are already thinking of a replacement and their deputy isn't even buried yet!"_

"Go away," the golden tabby hissed, turning away from the barely visible form of his grandfather. His amber eyes so similar to his father's had lost their innocence and and in their place was a bitter and mournful gleam that belonged on a much older cat than a brand new warrior.

_"I know the loss of your father is unbearable at the moment," _Tigerstar's sympathetic voice came. _"That cat was my son and no matter how mousebrained he was later in life, he still shares my blood, like you do. Don't you think I'm mourning as well? But sitting around here and moping isn't going to solve anything."_

Lionclaw glanced over at Hollyfrost and Jayfeather, making sure they still were asleep beside him. StarClan forbid they heard any part of this. "What do you think I should do, Tigerstar?"

_"The wounds that killed Brambleclaw were not self-inflicted, as you have already pieced together. Take your revenge on your father's killer!" _Tigerstar demanded. _"You are a warrior now, not a weak little apprentice. Use all that grief and sadness and mold it into determination to avenge Brambleclaw."_

"I don't even know his killer," the tabby protested. "And if I find him or her, what would I do? I'm still a young cat and my powers come and go. What if he or she kills me instead?"

_"You and Hollyfrost were watching the camp entrance, correct?" _Lionclaw felt a small pang of shame as he remembered falling asleep on his silent vigil. _"You saw that no one sneaked into camp and killed Brambleclaw. The murderer is a ThunderClan cat, possibly one that carries a grudge against him. Continue your training with me and, one day, we will take revenge on his killer."_

The tomcat glanced over at his father. Brambleclaw's broad and power frame seemed suddenly small and weak in death and it was impossible to see the silent strength in this still corpse that Lionclaw had always associated with his father. "All right," he sighed. "I'll do it. Train me and I will kill his murderer and avenge your son's and my father's death."

_"Excellant," _the dark tabby purred. _"Meet me tomorrow night at the usual training place. You and I have much to accomplish and only so little time to do it."_

Tigerstar's presence vanished just as Jayfeather stirred from beside his brother, blinking open dead blue eyes. "Firestar is here," he murmured.

"Right on time," Leafpool whispered, looking up at the moon that soared directly overhead, indicating the time when Firestar was to choose the new deputy.

Lionclaw and the other ThunderClan cats followed Jayfeather's gaze toward Firestar's den where the ginger tomcat appeared from behind the lichen curtain that shielded his sleeping place from view. The golden tabby almost gasped as he saw his leader. For the first time in Lionclaw's memory, Firestar's true old age was showing. His shoulders were bowed by seasons of hardship and his green eyes glazed over and tired.

"A new deputy must be appointed," Firestar drawled in an emotionless voice. "I say these words before the body of Brambleclaw, so he will approve of my choice." What followed was several tense moments of waiting, each cat that had ever had an apprentice looking at each other with anxious eyes.

"Hollyfrost will be the new deputy of ThunderClan."

**So I end this chapter with a cliffhanger. The story is beginning to pick up and sorry if it's feeling a bit rushed at the moment. Look forward to an Alliances page and an actual chapter coming up soon. Sorry to all Brambleclaw fans, but I don't think he'll actually ever make to being ThunderClan's leader after Firestar. And yes, I know that Cloudtail, and by extension, Whitewing, are both considered Firestar's kin as well and both have apprentices. But in my opinion, Firestar will pick a cat to be deputy that shares a close blood-tie with him, not like a nephew or great-niece or whatever Whitewing is to him.**

**Tamera Ali: Oops. Ah well, I'll fix it when I go back and re-edit the chapters later on. Thanks for pointing it out.**

**Sorrelsong of Skyclan: Agreed, NotePad does indeed suck. Stupid Bill Gates and his self-deleting software.**

**Nightclaw: Thanks. Heathergaze is about the only thing that fits Heatherpaw. Heatherfur, Heatherheart, Heathercloud. Nothing seems to fit.**


	4. Alliances

**Yes, I know I haven't updated in forever and all I have for you is alliances, but not to fear, an actual chapter will come soon. Since the time this was last updated, _Eclipse _has come out. I have not read the book yet and from here on out this story will be post-Outcast AU.**

**ThunderClan**

**Leader: Firestar; **old ginger tom with a flame-colored pelt

**Deputy: Hollyfrost;** black she-cat with green eyes

**Apprentice, Toadpaw**

**Medicine Cat: Leafpool; **light brown tabby she-cat with amber eyes

**Apprentice, Jayfeather**

**Warriors: Squirrelflight; **dark ginger she-cat with green eyes

**Apprentice, Foxpaw**

**Sandstorm; **pale ginger she-cat

**Cloudtail; **long-haired white tom

**Brackenfur; **golden brown tabby tom

**Sorreltail; **tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat with amber eyes

**Apprentice, Rosepaw**

**Thornclaw; **golden brown tabby tom

**Brightheart; **white she-cat with ginger patches

**Ashfur; **pale gray (with darker flecks) tom, dark blue eyes

**Ferncloud; **pale gray (with darker flecks) she-cat, green eyes

**Spiderleg; **long-limbed black tom with brown underbelly and amber eyes

**Whitewing; **white she-cat with green eyes

**Apprentice, Icepaw**

**Birchfall; **light brown tabby tom

**Graystripe; **long-furred gray tom

**Berrynose; **cream-colored tom

**Hazeltail; **small gray and white she-cat

**Cinderclaw; **dark gray tabby she-cat

**Honeyfur; **light brown tabby she-cat

**Poppytail; **tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat

**Lionclaw; **golden brown tabby tom with amber eyes, formerly of ThunderClan

**Apprentices: Jayfeather; **gray tabby tom with blue eyes

**Icepaw; **white she-cat with blue eyes

**Foxpaw; **reddish brown tabby tom

**Toadpaw; **black and white tom

**Rosepaw; **dark cream she-cat

**Queens: Daisy; **long-furred creamy she-cat from the Horseplace

**Millie; **silver tabby she-cat, blue eyes, mother of Bumblekit (light gray tom) Briarkit (dark gray tabby tom) and Blossomkit (long-furred silver tabby she-cat)

**Elders: Longtail; **pale tabby tom with dark black stripes, retired early due to failing sight

**Mousefur; **small dusky brown she-cat

**Dustpelt; **dark brown tabby tom

**ShadowClan**

**Leader: Russetstar; **dark ginger she-cat

**Deputy: Rowanclaw; **ginger tom

**Medicine Cat: Littlecloud; **small tabby tom

**Apprentice, Tigerpaw- **dark brown tabby tom

**Warriors: Oakfur; **small brown tom

**Apprentice, Dawnpaw- **small gray she-cat with white paws

**Smokefoot; **black tom

**Tawnypelt; **tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes

**Ivytail; **black, white and tortoiseshell she-cat

**Apprentice, Flamepaw- **ginger tom

**Toadfoot; **dark brown tom

**Owlflight; **light brown tabby tom

**Queens: Snowbird; **pure-white she-cat mother of Cloudkit (white she-cat) and Fogkit (light gray she-cat)

**Elders: Cedarheart; **dark gray tom

**Tallpoppy; **long-legged light brown she-cat

**WindClan**

**Leader: Onestar; **brown tabby tom

**Deputy: Ashfoot; **gray she-cat

**Medicine Cat: Kestrelwing; **light brown tom

**Warriors: Crowfeather; **dark gray tom with blue eyes

**Owlwhisker; **light brown tabby tom

**Apprentice, Sedgepaw- **small brown tabby tom

**Whitetail; **small white she-cat

**Nightcloud; **black she-cat

**Apprentice, Thistlepaw- **light brown tom

**Weaselfur; **ginger tom with white paws

**Harespring; **brown-and-white tom

**Apprentice, Swallowpaw- **mottled dark brown tabby she-cat with amber eyes

**Heatherheart; **light brown tabby she-cat, blue eyes

**Breezefeather; **black tom with amber eyes

**Queens: Gorsetail; **very pale gray and white she-cat with blue eyes

**Elders: Webfoot; **dark gray tom

**Tornear; **tabby tom

**RiverClan**

**Leader: Leopardstar; **unusually spotted tabby she-cat

**Deputy: Mistyfoot; **gray she-cat with blue eyes

**Medicine Cat: Mothwing; **dappled golden she-cat

**Apprentice, Willowpool- **light gray tabby she-cat with green eyes

**Warriors: Blackclaw; **smoky black tom

**Voletooth; **small brown tabby tom

**Reedwhisker; **black tom with amber eyes

**Apprentice, Sneezepaw- **white tom

**Beechfur; **light brown tom

**Rippletail; **dark gray tabby tom

**Dawnflower; **pale gray she-cat

**Dapplenose; **mottled gray she-cat

**Apprentice, Mallowpaw- **light gray and white she-cat

**Pouncetail; **ginger-and-white tom

**Minnowstream; **long-furred gray and white she-cat with green eyes

**Pebbleheart; **light gray tom

**Graymist; **pale tabby she-cat

**Queens: Icewing; **white she-cat with green eyes, mother of Beetlekit (black tom) Petalkit (tortoiseshell she-cat) and Grasskit (light brown tom with green eyes)

**Elders: Swallowtail; **dark tabby she-cat

**Stonestream; **gray tom

**Cats Outside of Clans and Other Creatures**

**Smoky; **a gray and white tom that lives at the Horseplace

**Floss; **gray and white she-cat that lives at the Horseplace

**Pip; **a small black and white dog that lives near the Horseplace

**As you have noticed, things have changed in the Clans.**

**For ThunderClan...**

**1. Millie's kits have been born. Although their names are canon, as far as I know, their appearances are not.**

**2. Since Dustpelt's really getting up there in years and it's been ages since the first arc, he is now an elder.**

**3. I have killed Mousewhisker off because ThunderClan was really getting overpopulated and he wasn't really needed.**

**4. Cinderpaw, Honeypaw and Poppypaw have been made warriors (as they have in canon) although their warrior names are different and will stay that way. (Seriously, HONEYFERN?)**

**For ShadowClan...**

**1. Yes, I killed Blackstar off. Yell at me all you want, but that cat was really old and it's about time Russetfur became leader.**

**2. Rowanclaw is now deputy, 'cause he's so awesome.**

**3. Owlflight is now a warrior.**

**4. Snowbird has three new kits named Cloudkit and Fogkit.**

**5. Flamepaw and Dawnpaw are warrior apprentices, and Tigerpaw is Littlecloud's apprentice.**

**For WindClan...**

**1. Barkface is dead and Kestrelwing is the new medicine cat.**

**2. Gorsetail's kits have been made apprentices.**

**3. Heatherheart and Breezefeather are now warriors.**

**For RiverClan...**

**1. Willowpool is now a full medicine cat.**

**2. Sneezepaw and Mallowpaw are apprentices.**

**3. Icewing has had her kits.**

**4. Minnowstream and Pebbleheart are now warriors.**


	5. ThunderClan's New Deputy

**Here's the new chapter, as promised. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Warriors.**

_"Some are born great; others have greatness thrust upon them."- _Theodore Roosevelt.

_"A new deputy must be appointed," Firestar drawled in an emotionless voice. "I say these words before the body of Brambleclaw, so he will approve of my choice." What followed was several tense moments of waiting, each cat that had ever had an apprentice looking at each other with anxious eyes._

_"Hollyfrost will be the new deputy of ThunderClan."_

Hollyfrost, still immersed in grief for her newly deceased father, thought she had misheard Firestar. She looked up at her leader, knowing that she must have imagined him making her deputy. After all, she had been a warrior for less than three days. Surely Firestar was not going to give such an important position to _her?_

Apparently ThunderClan thought the same way as they all were silent. They gaped at Firestar with expressions of shock. Even Sandstorm,who had stood resolute with entire loyalty to her mate, appeared horrified at his decision.

_Please, let this all be a dream, _Hollyfrost prayed. _StarClan, please let Father's death and Firestar's madness be nothing but a nightmare!_

But as much as the black she-cat tried to deny it, the entire situation was harsh reality. Cats were starting to get over their surprise now and most were throwing her ugly looks. Slowly their stunned features hardened into such a look of cold hostility that Hollyfrost would never think possible from her greatest enemies; much less her own Clanmates.

The same whispers were beginning to spread throughout ThunderClan again, except this time even the cats that respected Firestar the most were doing nothing to hide their displeasure. The whispers and glares began to swell into something monstrous; the quiet dislike quickly evolving into something much worse. Yowls of protests began to rise up, and Firestar did nothing to halt it.

"This is madness!" Spiderleg yowled. "You may have stolen my son's oppurtunity to become a good warrior by giving him to Hollyfrost, but who are you to force an inexperianced cat on the entire Clan?"

"She's hardly been a warrior for three moons!" Dustpelt snarled. "ThunderClan's future is already in jeopardy and you are driving us closer to that edge by appointing such a green cat deputy!"

"Hey!" Foxpaw protested. His claws slid out and he reflexively stepped closer to Hollyfrost, snarling at the crowd of enraged. "Don't insult my friend like that!"

Other voices broke in; Lionclaw's, Cinderclaw's, Poppytail's, as Hollyfrost's friends and family rose to her defense. All the shouting and yelling was escalating to a dangerous level that threatened to break out into a full battle at any moment. Still Firestar stood, watching the seen with impassive green eyes.

"Enough!" he bellowed at last. ThunderClan reluctantly fell silent. Most were still snarling, their claws unsheathed in preparation to fight. "My word is law and anyone who protests it is protesting the warrior code and StarClan. Hollyfrost is deputy, and that is how it shall remain."

Hollyfrost felt her fur begin to bristle as she felt the scorching eyes of her Clanmates upon her. Foxpaw was still bristling at her side, daring someone to say one nasty thing about her. She felt as if she was a rabbit trapped among a pack of starving dogs that were just itching to rip her apart, and the instinct to flee from her own Clanmates caused her heart to quicken.

"Firestar," she began in a respectful voice, hoping to appeal to both her leader and to ThunderClan, "I greatly appreciate being selected to be your new deputy, but Spiderleg and Dustpelt are right. I am a young warrior. Please, give the deputyship to a senior warrior that can handle the responsibility."

"You are modest," the ginger tomcat stated simply. "Youth does not dictate how good a deputy will be, and you have the potential to become the greatest ruler this forest has ever seen." He looked down at his grand-daughter, green eyes eerily empty. "Do you still think it sheer luck that I selected Toadpaw to become your apprentice?"

At being mentioned, Toadpaw crouched low to the ground. His amber eyes flashed warily, almost as if he were afraid of Firestar.

"No," Firestar continued, oblivious to the black-and-white cat's distress. "I was merely making you eligible to become deputy, in case Brambleclaw passed on before his time. I see now that my judgement as paid off and I now have a _loyal _deputy ready to serve me."

"Loyal?" Ashfur repeated quietly. "It sounds almost as if you don't trust ThunderClan anymore, Firestar."

"Bluestar," Brightheart whispered in a terrified voice.

"You're right," the ginger tomcat meowed simply. "I don't." He began to pace in agitation, looking coldly down at the sea of stunned faces below him. "My loyal deputy lies dead and the murderer must have been a ThunderClan cat. How can I trust anyone but my own flesh and blood to become deputy?" he challenged. "What if the cat I chose was Brambleclaw's killer and he murders me as well to become leader?"

"Then why not pick me to become deputy?" Cloudtail demanded. "Or Whitetail? Or Squirrelflight!? Or even Sandstorm? Why not pick an older, wiser relative instead of Hollyfrost?"

Firestar remained silent, although an odd light glittered in his leaf-colored eyes. "This meeting is over," he murmured quietly. "Hollyfrost will organize the patrols tomorrow and begin her new role as both mentor and deputy." And without leaving time for further argument that ginger tomcat turned and vanished into his den.

Murmuring to others, the crowd slowly began to disperse and head back to their dens. Only those closest to Brambleclaw remained in the center of camp to finish the vigil. Leafpool, however, after telling Jayfeather to remain by his father's side to carry out his vigil, quickly began to hurry to her den.

"Chamomile and thyme," she muttered to herself. "That ought to help calm Firestar down and make him see sense. And maybe just a bit of poppyseed too, to help him sleep this off."

Hollyfrost, still in shock about the unexpected turn of events, laid down by her two brothers and remained silent.

"It's okay," Jayfeather told her in an uncharacteristic gentle voice. He pressed a reassuring nose into Hollyfrost's fur. "Firestar's just a little bit mad because of his deputy's death. He'll be back in his right state of mind in no time." But his voice betrayed his doubt.

The black she-cat remained silent, curling up close to Brambleclaw's ice-cold body. She closed her eyes; allowing a dreamless sleep to claim her.

000000000000

For Lionclaw, the day after his father's death seemed unreal.

When the elders came that morning to retrieve Brambleclaw's body and carry it out into the forest to be buried in the secret place that only they knew about, Lionclaw had almost tried to stop them. A large part of himself didn't want those old cats to take his father away from him, although Lionclaw knew that Brambleclaw's body was now nothing more than an empty corpse.

Cats came to him that day to try and console him, but he just shrugged them off with complete indifference. Honeyfur in particular had shown a strong desire to try and comfort him, feeling like she could relate to Lionclaw because she had lost her brother, Molepaw.

"I don't need your sympathy," had been his cold reply. Honeyfur had gaped at him, startled that the loveable apprentice she had known had become so bitter and distant within such a short span of time. She had left in a huff, disgusted with the person Lionclaw had become. But Lionclaw didn't care much; he had felt oddly distant since Brambleclaw's murder.

Night couldn't come quickly enough for the new warrior, who was eager to escape reality and begin the journey that would ultimately lead to his revenge upon Brambleclaw's killer. When that time came Lionclaw found himself beginning the familiar trip down to where he usually met Tigerstar the moment he closed his eyes, eager to gain control over his power.

When Lionclaw arrived at the usual meeting place he found only Tigerstar there.

"Where's Hawkfrost?" he asked, looking around to make sure he didn't accidentally over-look his uncle.

"Hawkfrost will not be joining us tonight," the dark tabby answered. "He has business of his own to handle." Tigerstar crouched low, unsheathing his long claws. "Come, we have much to practice if you want to take revenge upon my son's murderer. Now try to use your abilities against me."

Lionclaw lunged at his grandfather, trying to harness the same power he had used back in the mountains. Trying to feel the same rush of invincibility that allowed him to take on a mass of enemies and escape with barely a scratch. For the briefest moment he felt something like that stir inside him, but a heavy paw connected to his head the next moment, shattering his concentration.

"Not even close to what you did in the mountains." Tigerstar was completely calm, unfased by the scowl that Lionclaw was giving him. "If you want to have your vengeance I suggest you work harder to master your abilities."

"I was trying!" Lionclaw snapped. "And I would have gotten it if you hadn't hit-"

"You should by now in real battles your opponent will not allow you time to prepare yourself," Tigerstar meowed. "If I had seriously been fighting you, you would have been dead before you released your abilities."

"But-" Lionclaw began.

"Again!" Tigerstar interrupted, this time charging at Lionclaw and catching him unaware.

And the training began.

00000000000

_"I see that the mission went exactly as planned."_

Hawkfrost's agent nodded. "The results were better than what was expected. Firestar has lost any sanity he still had and was mousebrained enough to appoint Hollyfrost deputy. A brilliant move on Tigerstar's part, making the kittypet give Toadpaw to Hollyfrost like that."

_"It was not because of Tigerstar that Firestar made Hollyfrost a mentor this early in life. That decision was entirely Firestar's." _The transparent form of Hawkfrost shifted its paws. _"An unexpected event, but something that worked to advantage."_

"Yes," the agent agreed. "It looks as if the kittypet was going mad even without intervention."

_"Be warned to tread carefully, friend, this crucial point in time decides the fate of your Clan," _Hawkfrost warned. _"If Lionclaw is not ready in time when Hollyfrost becomes leader, the whole plan will be ruined."_

The agent looked down at their paws, eyes dark. "I still don't see why we're including Lionclaw in our plans. Yes, he's very gullible and easy to fool, but he has the old fool's sense of honesty and righteousness. What happens if he finds out that you're manipulating him and he decides to tell Firestar?"

_"Lionclaw is essential to the plan," _Hawkfrost responded simply. _"And as for him discovering our true motives, Tigerstar has that matter all under control."_

"Any reason why Lionclaw is so important to the plan? Hollyfrost is the real figure-head and only she'll be able to persuade Jayfeather to see the truth about Firestar."

_"Lionclaw, and Jayfeather as well, show unusual abilities given to them by StarClan." _Hawkfrost said the final word with a sneer.

The informant's eyes widened. "Unusual abilities?" he repeated in awe. "Like the powers Leafpool and Squirrelflight have? I heard they have a special connection that allows them to know what the other is feeling."

_"You shall see," _Hawkfrost replied mysteriously. His transparent body tensed, sitting up straight and rigid. _"Tigerstar wishes for you to continuing follow the orders he gave to you last time; lay low and do not arouse suspicion. If all goes well you'll find yourself Hollystar's trusted deputy by leaf-bare."_

The informant nodded, watching the spectral form of Hawkfrost disappear until nothing remained. Then the agent turned away, a triumphant gleam in his eyes.

"See how great I am becoming?" the informant muttered to no one. "One day I might be Clanleader and it is all because I had the courage to do what you could not."

**Hmm, it's a little short for my liking, but it'll do. **


End file.
